Improved snow-sweeper for streets



WILLIAM SMITH, l v0F ILLINOIS.v` s v.lieg-tem .Patent No. 72,928, dated.December 3.1, 18x67.

'tumoren snow-'surea tenements." e

-lltt Search natali in in time firten tant mit mating nel at tige aan; l

To ALL WHoM 1r-MnYJooNoERN= Be it known that I,'W`ILLIAM W. SMITH, ofChicago,'in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois,-hav= inventedanew and 4improvedMachine for Sweeping Snow off the Streets andRailway-Tracks; and -I do hereby declare that the :following is a fulland exact description' thereof, reference being had to the letters angures of reference marked 11p-en the accompanying drawings,which forni`a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a bottomplan view of my sweeping-machine, 'showing clearly-its general manner ofconstruction.

Figure 2 is a. side view, with the drivingwheels upon theside nearest toview removed.

Figure 3 is an end view of one of the brushes used in the machine,

, Figure 4 is a section 'of' one of the brushes, taken atvoneofth'points where the wire. portion is inserted.

f The nature ofmy invention consists in the arrangement of a seriesofeircular brushes, revolving in a. line .atright anglesto the 'street'or railroad-track, upon -which'the'whole machine is moved forward, and,by the action of said brushes, causes the snow to be removed from thetrack or street and deposited upon the side of the way; also, thepeculiar combination of mechanical vparts for communicating power to thebrushes fromthe 'driving-wheels also, the arrangement of llevers andother devices for throwing the machinery in and out of gear. To enablethose skilled in theart 'to make and usem'y invention, I will describeitseconstruction and operation.

A is tbe-platform, tofwhich I attach car-wheels, B, also', spurjgear, 1,2, 3, 4, ,5, and mitre-gears, 6 and 7, to which are connected, by 'meansof the universal joint lC and shaft D, the brushes E, which arearranged, as shown in iig. 1, upon either end of the'platform A, and ina. line parallel tothe forward movement of Said platform, and, beingarranged in this way, each brush upon the left being in advance-of eachright-hand brush,

in order that they' may sweep every inch of ground, and not clash witheach other. I arrange the brushes in this way'to the number of vo uponeach end ofthe platform, which number may beincreased or diminished'whonit is desirabletoswccp a widcrvor narrower breadthwcf track. F Farcyokes, through which shafts 'D are lpassed and rigidly confined, 'so far'as lateral 'motion is concerned, but allowing the shafts D freedom to`revolve,`also to be elevated,'as shown upon the leftin iig. 2'. G G arealso yokes, through which. rods Haro' passed, underneath the shafts D,and are connected to eccentrics,jI, by chains, K. Eccentrics I areattached to shaft L, and are operated by levers M, as also shown np'onthe left in-iig. 2'. The lever M, being forced down andconfined-underneath catch N,v\yhich causes tho thick side of theeccentric I to press. against the chain K, and thereby cause the brushesE to assume and retain an elevated' position, when it is desirable forthem not t'o bein use., as, for instance, when the motion of theplatform assigns their position to be at' the rear end. Wheels 3 3 areloose upon their shafts, and -are made to communicate power by meansofthe clutches O, which are thrown in and out of gear' by means 'of-the'levers P. When thc brushes upon the rear end of the platform are thrownout of gear and elevated, the power of the rear driveewhccls istransmitted to' the front-by means of 4theUspu'r-whecl 1, and inthislway the whole frictonal power of the driving-wheels is utilized ina'll'cases, whether the brushes are revolving from one only or fromboth-ends ofthe platform. -BrushesE may be conetructed of any materialcapable of forming a stili' and substantial brush. I prefer spring-wire,and believe it tozbe-tbelmost suitable. I insert the wires into holesbored into the hub ofthe brush, and screw-thc cap S` down upon "them, asshownin fig. 4, and 'in this way prevent the possibility of their boingthrown or drawn'out whilein usc. f l I* i A l 4Having thus describemyvinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatontof the Unite'd States, isf V I 1. The range of brushes E, mountedon shafts- D, with u-niversztljonts C, iri combination'with the yokesvRall arranged and employed as and for the purposes specified.

2.' The-:construction of the brushes E, 'by setting-their wies in holesin the brush-heads, and securing them with capsS, appliedos representedand described. l i I 3. The lever M, ehain`K eccentric vLand rod H, incombination, as and for the purposes specified. 4. The whee l1,i1'1combination with wheels 2 and 3 and clutch O, for the purpose oftransmitting the power from one tothe other series of brushes, as setforth.

' WILLIAM -W. SMITH.

Witnesses G. W. KING, GEo. M. STERNE.

